Golden

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Searching far for sweet ripe apples
hanging golden from silver branches
fly under the stars and land as
the guards sleep heavy in their saddles.
Pluck the fruit and leave no track
clutch the golden orbs while the sun
rises and the guards gape stunned
at empty trees, but don’t be lax.
Fruit leaves no trail, yet princes chase
golden fruit to golden bird to golden maids.
How then his golden promises shall you evade
when he comes to test the hand of fate?
Leave these dreams of golden apples
seek instead for home grown pears.



Written for dVerse.

There are many fairy tales involving golden apples. They're often in a king's garden and are stolen by a bird(s), sometimes by a princess(es) who can change into a bird(s). A prince (or gardener's son) is tasked with stopping the theft of the apples, and has to quest for the bird and eventually the princess. While there are a few variations where the princess is in need of rescue, mostly she's straight up kidnapped - and then happily marries the prince at the end. This does not sit well with me, particularly when there's rarely a reason given for stealing the apples in the first place. This poem is sorta a conglomeration of all these fairy tales, as a warning to the princess and giving her the option to choose a different path.

Cinderella's Heir

I lift them from their pedestal

Tiny graceful glass-blown slippers

Oldest heirloom of the castle

Mine; the heiress of the cinders

Is magic left from their cobbler?

How they sparkle without respite!

Is that how fairy dust lingers?

Or is it scintillating light?

Music floats from the ball tonight

My chance for love, if I take it

An ember of hope; frail and slight

On these delicate glass baubles lit

So I’m wearing glass slippers to the ball

Perhaps my dreams won’t shatter after all

Written for dVerse

Diamonds and Toads

I tremble for, I see
snakes and wasps tumbling from my lips
fighting to be free a gleaming bevy of
scales and wings like emeralds, opals, pearls
the words I spoke when I met the fairy
flying spiteful, I never dreamed
the punishment of such famed bounty
never decreasing would ever be called mine!

Another cleave poem! The italics and regular font can be read as two separate poems. It is based on a fairy tale by Charles Perralut originally titled "The Fairies" but often called "Diamonds and Toads."

Puss

soft boots
terrible claws
all the armor you need
for a war against an ogre
mouse turned

Rumpelstiltskin

for dVerse

Firelight reveals
Dusty straw; spinning wheel
For the king's iornclad deal
Gold or death's seal

Little wonder she heeded
The voice that greeted

An unsual sight
The girl and spirte
Her paranormal knight
Escaping the blight

Morning light shines cold
Over the shimmering gold

Rina vs. The Band

for The Honeybee

It had been a long time since Rina had attended a ball. She had almost forgotten why she hated fancy dress balls. The restricting ball gown quickly reminded her. Balls had been one of the few lady like things her stepmother had not allowed her to participate in. She knew Rina would ruin them. The annual Goldgate Fall Festival, in Rina’s hometown, was coming up and the band had a quest to escort a young girl there.

“Why do I have to do this?” Rina complained while tugging at the green dress.

            Gold smiled apologetically. “Sorry Rina, the fairy godmother hired us to help her godchild out, since she has to attend the Godparent Continuing Education Seminar this week. We’re getting paid well too, so grin and bear it.”

            Rina sighed resignedly. “I know. Okay, so the godchild’s name is Ellen, and she wants to dance with her true love. Who is he anyways?”

Gold checked the notes. “Actually, the fairy godmother didn’t fill that part out. Weird. Just ask Ellen. Once you figure it out, push the guy into dancing with Ellen. True love should take care of the rest. And try not to look uncomfortable in the dress.”

            Rina made a face but she knew he was right. The band’s sorcerer had made a decent looking carriage out of an old pot and the band’s horses were hitched to it. Rina envied Thomas, he got to do the driving, which she was sure was much more interesting than sitting inside with Ellen. Ellen was pretty enough, but seemed incapable of giving an accurate description, much less name, for her true love. Rina eventually just looked out the window.

She had been surprised to get a quest in her hometown. As they pulled up to Goldgate Manor, she sighed. Actually, the pervious baron had been her father. But she had given up the barony to go adventuring. Her cousin Cedrick was the baron now. For her, the worst part about this quest wasn’t the gown. It was going inside Goldgate. To her heart it was still home, even though she had willingly left it.

            “Alright,” Rina whispered as they entered the dazzlingly ballroom. “Who is your true love?”

            But Ellen appeared to be rendered senseless by all the wealth and lights in the hall. The ballroom was very large with an exquisite mosaic of dancers on the floor. Having grown up running around Goldgate Manor and sliding all over the ballroom in her socks, Rina wasn’t quite as impressed. Suppressing another sigh, Rina diligently tried to get Ellen to be able to communicate, until the baron approached them. All ability to speak promptly left Ellen.

Baron Cedrick had recognized Rina. “May I have this dance?” he grinned at her.

            Rina smiled back. Cedrick had been one of her favorite cousins. Figuring that the best way to get Ellen to talk was to get the Baron away from her, Rina accepted. And maybe Ellen needed some time to settle in first.

            “What are you doing here?” Cedrick asked as they danced.

“My band has a quest here. We have to help a girl meet her true love.” Cedrick was a very good dancer, making it easy for Rina to follow him and hopefully disguise the fact that dancing was not her strong point.

            “A noble quest,” agreed Cedrick. “Can I help?”

            Rina shook her head. “I think she’s afraid of you. Just stay out of her way. She’s pretty overwhelmed as it is.”

             So she danced after that dance they parted ways and Rina went back to Ellen. Cedrick diligently steered clear of them, but Ellen didn’t calm down. She was crying and wouldn’t say anything until they returned to the band.

            “You danced with my true love!” sobbed Ellen as they stood in her kitchen garden.

            “Cedrick?!” exclaimed Rina indignantly. “How can he be your true love if he doesn’t even know you exist?’

            It was not the right comment. Ellen sobbed harder and Gervas signaled for Thomas to drag Rina away. Later Gervas warned Rina that if she tried to interfere with the quest, the band would tie her up. Rina scowled. She couldn’t let her cousin get married off to some goosey empty-headed girl.

            The next night Rina decided on a bold, direct approach to get Ellen with her true love. Once they got into the ballroom, Rina didn’t waste any time trying to let Ellen settle in or admire the room.

            “Come on Ellen,” said Rina. “You really need to meet your true love.” Grabbing her hand, Rina plowed through the room. Nimble dancers gracefully leaped out of their way, while clumsy ones stumbled and bumped their toes. They all gave Rina dark glares. Rina didn’t pay any attention to them and headed straight to her cousin.

            Cedrick raised his eyebrows, surprised that Rina was introducing him to the women she had told him to avoid.

“Cousin, this is Ellen. You should marry her.”

            Ellen fainted from embarrassment. Baron Cedrick restrained himself from rolling his eyes and called for a healer. He asked Rina to dance with him, but she sweetly said she would only do so if he danced with Ellen first. Cedrick really did roll his eyes and then spent the rest of the night avoiding Ellen. Which was difficult because Rina kept dragging Ellen after him. Once again, Ellen left the ball in tears.

            The next night, the band had the sorcerer put a spell on Rina to keep her at camp. Then they managed to lock Baron Cedrick and Ellen in the library in hopes that close contact would help them warm up to each other. But Rina’s work was already done. Cedrick took the most boring book in the library, a collection of Goldgate’s tax records, and read the entire thing to Ellen in a monotone. Ellen decided that she needed a different true love.

For more of Rina's adventures, see the Green Crescent Heroes.

Cinderella's Paradelle

for dVerse

Tears twice, ashes, and a pumpkin.

Tears twice, ashes, and a pumpkin.

Old cinders change; a new dress.

Old cinders change; a new dress.

A pumpkin, tears, ashes, and cinders,

twice old dress. A new change.

That fast gleaming ride was behind mice

That fast gleaming ride was behind mice

and once slippers dance into a gold heart

and once slippers dance into a gold heart

slippers and a heart dance into gold.

Once was gleaming behind mice that ride fast.

Coming midnight strikes. Running from the ball;

Coming midnight strikes. Running from the ball;

alas! To fall. A prince with glass leads to the way.

alas! To fall. A prince with glass leads to the way.

Running leads; a prince coming from the way to a lass

Midnight strikes the ball with glass to fall

Ashes and cinders change into gold

gleaming new a dress that once was old.

A pumpkin ride behind running fast mice

coming to a dance with a prince twice.

Alas midnight strikes. Tears and slippers fall.

Glass leads the way to the heart from the ball.

Vampire

dVerse

She is the fairest in the land

with dead white skin and blood smeared lips;

lovely beneath the coffin’s span.

Guarded lest she rise and walk again.

A Princess with a thirst for blood

she is the fairest in the land

who tricked men and stole their lives.

She is the terror of the land.

Who dared to face the Princess grand;

save a kingdom from her power?

She is the fairest in the land.

Eight men tried and eight men died.

A Queen tried next and made the tomb;

trapping the Princess behind the glass

and setting guards about the one

who is the fairest in the land.

Cinderella

Stepmother, “There is a social order. You are the bottom; ash.”
So in jewels and gold they left for the ball. Not knowing.
Before the night finished the Ash Girl would be queen.

Doorway

Magpie Tale 126
Shared with dVerse

The window was the answer.

It was a question I had always asked. What’s out there?
Mother Gothel never answered.
But she had to have the window. She had to go in and out.
And slowly the window brought my answer.

Out there were pears and apples.
Which came from trees, she let slip. I saw trees from my window so it wasn’t much.
But the trees that I could see never had pears or apples, so it was something.
Out there were dresses. They didn’t grow on trees.
Mother Gothel did not know how much she told me when she told me that.
When she told me how a dress was made, with impatience at my ignorance, she did not know she told me there were people like us beyond the walls of my tower.
I imagined other towers, with other girls.

Mother Gothel never knew I could see the men hunting. Nor did she know one of them sent a bird with a letter to me, through the window.
He told me everything of the world I longed to know. Letter after letter after letter.

Mother Gothel burned them when she found them. But it was too late. The window had brought me answers. When she left, raging, I was ready.

It had taken me a long time to learn those knots. The hunter’s pictures had not been very good. But I secured sheets and curtains and quite a few dresses together. And climbed out of the window, my doorway to the answer, what’s out there?

Of Shoes and Hearts

shared with dVerse

A silver shoe abandoned on the stair
A token to be followed through the night
Single shoe and lonely heart each pining for its pair
A silver shoe abandoned on the stair
Once the mate was found - there
Two broken hearts would heal and reunite
A sliver shoe abandoned on the stair
A token to be followed through the night

Curse: Part 2

My father was a whimsical man and that made him a dangerous king. He had twelve sons, my brothers. He was never quite pleased with them, for he feared they would fight amongst themselves for his throne. Daughters would not be troublesome, he was sure. So he took it into his head, that if he ever had a daughter, he would slay his sons and leave the kingdom to her. That was when he had three sons. Nine sons later, I, the daughter was born.

Before my birth, my brothers discovered my father’s plot. They fled and waited fearfully. When they heard I was a girl, they knew they could never return to my father’s house.

My father banished my brothers and ordered that anyone who met them was to kill them. He also declared I should never know about my brothers, lest I should show them kindness when I was on the throne. I discovered this history from my maid when I was seventeen. I then set out to find my brothers.

After I found them, foolishly picked the lilies, banished them and found them again, they told me this tale.

They were traveling after they fled our father when a fierce storm arose. They chanced upon the home of twelve sisters who gave them shelter. The following morning, one brother saw twelve lilies by the door. He thought it would be fitting for each brother to offer one to each sister, in thanks for their hospitality. Imagine their horror, when after plucking the lilies, they discovered the beautiful maidens were now hideous trolls.

At first they believed the girls had been enchanted and were determined to return them to their proper forms. The sisters only laughed and told them the truth. The girls were indeed trolls. They took human forms in order to catch unsuspecting humans and eat them. My brothers were to be the next victims, and the trolls attacked. My brothers fought bravely and overcame the trolls, but they did not come away unscathed. They all had many wounds, but worst of all, the trolls had cursed them before they died. Twelve new lilies were beside the door. If anyone picked them, my brothers would vanish.

They had little choice but to live in the house and guard the lilies, though they would have preferred to keep traveling. They were not angry with me for picking the lilies, however. Because the lilies were gone now, they had no fear for their lives and were their own masters.

Curse: Part 1.

Curse

Magpie Tale #91

Find your brothers’ chairs. Find the chairs, you find your brothers.

I’ve never even seen my brothers. Not, that is until last night. And it was too dark to see them really.

Twelve brothers, forced to flee my father’s wrath before I was even born. I am the thirteenth child, the first daughter, my brothers’ curse.

It was only a month ago I found out I had brothers and began searching for them. It was only last night I found them. This morning I plucked twelve lilies as gifts for them before they woke. And because I took those twelve lilies from the ground, my brothers are gone.

I searched for them once and now I must do so again. All these chairs are alike. Wooden, rough made for peasants; like the chairs in my brothers’ home were they lived simply. I strain my eyes for any difference, any hint. They are a king’s sons, will I find gold on their chairs? Last night my brothers had spoken of the thrones they once hoped to have and the joy they found far from them. Now the chairs are thrones, all like the one my father sits on. I reach for one, but stop. My father drove my brothers out; would they have chairs like his? Now the chairs are still thrones, but different. One is lined with red velvet, another is solid gold, one is round, another square. So they change to match my thoughts. I picture my mother’s sitting room, instantly the chairs are wicker with flowered cushions. Roses, asters, daffodils, sunflowers, chrysanthemums, dogwood, cherry, lilies, bachelor buttons, petunias, magnolias. Lilies. Only twelve chairs have lilies.


This is a very short retelling of the Grimms' fairytale The Twelve Brothers. In this fairytale a king has twelve sons, but decides that if his next child is a girl he will kill them all so that the daughter will inherit everything. When the brothers find out they flee. The daughter eventually finds them, but picks twelve lilies that turns her brothers into ravens and she has to save them. It is also similar to the Grimms' The Six Swans and Hans Christian Andersen's The Wild Swans.

Check out Part Two.